The present application generally relates to a lighting fixture. More particularly, the present application relates to a housing for an overhead lighting fixture having a hinge mechanism used to pivotally attach the housing to a reflector member positioned beneath the housing.
Overhead lighting is used in a wide variety of applications. For example, overhead lighting may be used for lighting commercial and industrial buildings, such as offices, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. Overhead lighting may also be used in hazardous locations, where a high degree of corrosion resistance and protection against dirt, water and moisture is necessary. In such environments it may be desirable to seal the electrical components within the lighting fixture. Seals or gasket material of varying thicknesses may be used to provide the sealing, depending on the application and environment. However, unsealing the lighting fixture for purposes of maintaining or replacing electrical components while the lighting fixture is mounted overhead presented a number of challenges to technicians, including the removal of screws and reflector cover while perched upon a ladder or platform.
Furthermore, in the past, overhead lighting fixtures having tubular fluorescent bulbs were widely used. In particular, lighting fixtures having T8 or T12 tubular fluorescent bulbs were widely used. However, replacing the T8 or T12 bulb or the associated ballast presented certain challenges, such as safely removing the bulb without breaking or dropping it, and accessing and removing the ballast.
In recent years, LED lighting has become more and more popular. LED lighting may be advantageous because LED lighting typically has a longer life than fluorescent lighting and they are very energy efficient.
However, because the components used for LED lighting generate a lot heat, it is desirable to provide suitable heat dissipation features and designs for the LED light fixture and housing. In addition, overhead lighting in general provides a number of challenges in terms of servicing, maintaining, and replacing the lights or LED arrays and other internal components associated with the lighting fixture. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a lighting fixture that provides for improved ease of servicing, maintaining, and replacing the lights and other internal components of the lighting fixture. In addition, there is a large installed base of overhead lighting fixtures that may include T8 or T12 fluorescent bulbs, and it would be desirable to provide an LED lighting fixture with a housing that may be used to retrofit and replace existing overhead lighting fixtures that use T8 or T12 fluorescent bulbs.